One such protein, the glutamate receptor, has been put under the control of a photoswitch and introduced into the retinas of mice.

WSJ: What Might Innovation Award Winners Look Like in Five or 10 Years?

The photoswitch turns the glutamate receptor on or off by changing its shape depending on the wavelength of light used a technique that's been shown to induce light sensitivity in blind mice.

WSJ: What Might Innovation Award Winners Look Like in Five or 10 Years?